A Forlorn Soul
by DemiLovato'sBff
Summary: The Ice Queen on stage, a Forlorn Soul in the shadows. Full Summary Inside. TROYPAY
1. Grief Stricken

** Title: **_**A Forlorn Soul**_

**Genre: **Romance/Angst/Drama

**Rating: **T – sometimes M for safety

**Relationship(s): **Troypay

**Warning(s): **Extreme violence, abuse, strong profanity

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything High School Musical related – I wish!

**Summary: **The Ice Queen on stage, a Forlorn Soul in the shadows. What happens when Sharpay Evans' world crashes around her? She loses all hope, her father's become the opposite of what he used to be and her life becomes full of turmoil, but why? Plus, why is the person who loathes her the most, suddenly caring tremendously about her…? TROYPAY

**Chapter 1: Grief Stricken**

Of course, it all started at a party. She hadn't brought it upon herself to get hurt because she thought she had known her father. I mean, hadn't he been the one who had always called her "his princess?" But that had all changed since the divorce and the night of the party; everything had changed. Sure, she was still rich, but the real question was, was she still that happy-go-lucky girl she had been just one year ago? After all, why shouldn't she be happy? She had a glamorous pale pink Mercedes Benz convertible designed with large, white lettering with her initials on the hood: SE, her very own no-limit credit card, myriads of designer clothes that most girls her age dreamed of and most of all, being a triple threat, the girl had talent to get her into the most prestigious colleges. Still, she had been faking a smile ever since the day after that fateful party. The world at school was still the same, everyone seeing her as the Ice Queen, or at least, that's what she presumed. Hadn't they seen a vulnerable side to her that night? Well, if they had, they certainly didn't show it. Mostly, everyone still thought of her as the Ice Queen, especially after what had happened last summer. It would most likely take more than singing a few songs with a portion of the Wildcats to change their opinion of her; besides, hadn't she nearly ruined Gabriella and the rest of the Wildcats summer?

On the contrary, they'd gotten their revenge. They'd ruined her chance of receiving the Star Dazzle award that summer, hadn't they? Or hadn't she _just decided _on the spot to instead, award it to her brother? She had to suppress a smile because for once, thinking on the spot had paid off on that particular day. Her brother had got what he deserved, and deep down she knew this was true, because honestly, what had she done that summer to help her brother out? Nothing. And the surprising part was…she could bring herself to say it. And we're talking about the Ice Queen here?

"I heard her Daddy's cutting her off…she met some twenty year old guy in rehab this summer and he tried to hook up with her. She was going to, without her parents' knowledge, but she chickened out at the last minute. What a slut!"

"No, can't be true. I heard her brother's gay for Troy and she isn't taking it too well. Plus, isn't her dad like an alcoholic or something? I heard he tried to rape her at Troy Bolton's party earlier this year!"

Sharpay Evans strode past a group of gossiping cheerleaders without so much as a scowl. She felt hurt by the last comment of her father and she gritted her teeth as she walked by them. _They don't even having the fucking story right. I bet they weren't even there.__Vulnerable side, Sharpay! Come on, try your angry side! _She murmured inaudibly, "Stupid cheerleaders." _There you go. _

Apparently they had heard her, because this only caused more hushed whispers from the cheerleaders before they dispersed with the loud ringing of the bell. Great, first period; it was time for Life Science with Mr. Gilroy, as if he and his class could be anymore boring.

With her nearly flawless new intimate colored nails, Sharpay unfastened the sterling silver lock from her fuchsia-colored locker, the only one in the school, and acquired all the materials she needed for Life Science. With a quick glance in her magnetic mirror, magnetized to the inside of her locker door, she slammed her locker door and began to make her way to the classroom, which was surprisingly a whole flight downstairs from her new homeroom teacher's room, Mr. Patterson. Along the way, a few audible snickers and whispers were heard, and Sharpay was conscious of the fact that they were most certainly about her. She really hadn't minded school as much as she used to loathe it. I mean, she was definitely good friends with Troy, Gabriella, Taylor and of course her brother, Ryan. Chad was really still a mystery since he still cracked the occasional hurtful joke here and there. Then there was the rest of the gang, like Jason, Zeke and Kelsi; but of course, Zeke was no problem. He was constantly offering to do those little petty things such as carry her books, bake her goodies when she was feeling somber or just give her a friendly hug. She had used to resent Zeke last year without really getting to know him for the person that he was and just judging him for his geeky baker-self, but she'd come to realize he was a really sweet guy, not to mention, his baking was just fabulous. A moment dawned on her as she let a dainty smile play on her features, recalling when she had kissed Zeke's yearbook at the end of the school year, the day that summer had officially began…and the summer that she would never forget.

Those were the good times… the times when she had been able to count on her father. But as she remembered herself saying to Ryan:_It's summer Ry…Everything changes. _And indeed, that summer, everything had changed. Troy and Gabriella had gotten their first kiss and Sharpay had been dissed by Troy. She hadn't had her time to shine at the Lava Springs Talent Show, Troy and Gabriella had. She had had everything taken away from her, including Troy, though he never really was hers, was he? She couldn't help but murmur, "Though, I still love him." _Is it really love? _She queried inside her mind, pausing in the middle of the hallway to contradict herself. _No no, it was just a silly little crush._ Still, she wanted to be at peace with Gabriella, but deep down inside, there was no denying that she loathed her for having Troy.

And it was quite amusing, really. All her life, Sharpay had always gotten what she wanted. Her father was a brilliant golfer, he was on the board of directors at UVA and a fine businessman, bringing in wads of cash for the family. He had always been such a nice guy…well, not as much to Ryan as to herself. He had always been stricter with Ryan; Nevertheless, Ryan was closer to her mother than she was. It was more like a father/daughter, mother/son relationship in the Evans household.

Her father had supported her relationship with Troy, well…of what she had had with him. Luring him into singing with her only worked because her father had been sitting right there in front of him, dangling a promise at a scholarship right under Troy's nose. He would've never agreed to sing with her had he not been there. So, why was it now that her father was so distant from her? He never stayed in contact with her, never called her, nothing. Maybe she just couldn't accept that he was a changed man…in all the wrong ways.

So why was it that he had showed up suddenly at the party of the year? Why had he humiliated her in front of everyone, especially…especially him? Yes, she was talking about Troy. A chill swept up her spine as she remised the scene of the party:

"_SHARPAY EVANS! THERE YOU ARE! I'VE BEEN LOOKING ALL OVER THE FUCKING STATE FOR YOU!"_

_A hush swept over the crowd of people. The blaring music suddenly stopped. All eyes were either on the girl in the pale-white floral sequined dress with the sparkling silver stilettos or the man with the balding gray hair and trampy-looking torn t-shirt and plaid corduroy pants. A gasp escaped from her mouth as she felt a hand slap her across the face. The next thing she knew, she was flat on her face, staring at the ground and gasping for breath. She could feel the blood gushing from her mouth and her heart racing. The unfamiliar stench of whiskey filled her nostrils as a face recognizable only by the slightest was face to face with her; to her shock, it was her father. He was finally here…after all these months. But, how could it possibly be him? This was no father to her…this was, an abuser._

"_Dad?" Sharpay choked out, coughing up blood and feeling her insides shimmer with coldness. _

"_That's right, princess," He sneered, his blood boiling. His teeth clenched in anger and he screamed, "What the hell are you all looking at?" _

_The crowd of seniors all backed away from the scene, cowering in fear of Sharpay's father. There was certainly going to be a lot to gossip about on Monday!_

_"Dad…" She coughed, blood spurting from her mouth as her jaw seared in pain. "Stop…what are-"_

_He angrily reached down and grabbed Sharpay by the neck, his nails sinking into her skin. Sharpay yelped in pain as she felt the hot breath and stench of whiskey in her ear, "You haven't seen the last of me, princess. I'll be back to reclaim what's rightfully mine." He dropped her carelessly and let her hit the hard-wood floor from about a five and a half foot drop. A loud scream was heard and he stormed out of the mansion. The last that was heard of him was the screeching sound of his car tires against the pavement, and the roar of the engine as he sped off to only God knows where._

_For about a minute, all eyes were on Sharpay and the only person that cared to help her was her own brother, Ryan. He had always been in her shadow, until that summer and now, he was only showing that he truly was his own person, and no longer feared his own sister; He truly cared for her. _

_"Oh, right. So you're just all going to stand there and stare. You're all assholes," Ryan scolded the group of students. "Why don't you all forget about your fucking selves and help her up!?"_

_A group of students immediately responded by rushing over and helping her up. They were all-to-familiar faces to Sharpay: Zeke, Jason, Kelsi, Gabriella, Taylor, Chad and most importantly…Troy. His ocean blue eyes locked onto hers and she bit her lip, tears slipping down her cheeks. Ryan had wiped some of the blood from her chin and was continuing to do so when Sharpay pushed him out of the way and scuttled towards the front door. Many in the crowd discerned that her dress was torn on one shoulder and on the lower part of her left leg as she was seen abruptly leaving the party. Ryan could only watch her go, a frown encasing his lips as he wanted to follow her, but he knew his sister's reaction would be horrific. Besides, there were too many thoughts swimming around in his mind. Why had his father shown up after all this time and just physically abused Sharpay, his sister…and his father's daughter? And why had he not paid any attention to him? And what was that thing that he needed to claim that was "rightfully his"? Was it…Sharpay? _

_"What…what was that about?" Gabriella's lip quivered, letting a few tears fall from her honey brown hues. She rested her head on Troy's shoulder, a gut-feeling in the pit of her stomach that Sharpay's father had been drunk upon coming here._

_"I don't…I don't know," Troy replied, frowning as he watched Sharpay sprint out the door. He suddenly felt queasy, a strange feeling occurring in the pit of his stomach; it happened to be the same feeling that he had had upon first meeting Gabriella during Junior Year. He swallowed gently, his shoulders tensing slightly as Gabriella rested her head against one. His gaze flitted over to Ryan, who shot him a worried look in return._

_Meanwhile, Sharpay had been sprinting through the streets, barefoot with one stiletto in each hand. Mascara was running down her face, pools of tears surrounding the black clumps. Her eyeliner had faded and her normally fabulous looking hair was unruly. As she made her way back to her house, she made a decision. She wouldn't tell her mother because she could handle this on her own. She wasn't going to be little Ms. Vulnerable anymore._

Ever since that day, Sharpay just hadn't been herself. She refused to ever speak of the incident at the party to Ryan or any of the Wildcats, especially Troy. She still thought of all of them as great friends but now, it was definitely awkward around them. It was hard to feel like that same old Sharpay the Ice Queen who ran the school. She still was, oh she definitely still was; but she didn't _feel_ the part of the Ice Queen anymore. In fact, she contradicted herself half the time. Sometimes, she just wished that she could fit in with the rest of the Wildcats and more with the girls in certain cliques. Then why couldn't she just _show_ that to the school instead of faking it everyday? It just…it was too hard.

And yet, more and more rumors were being conjugated about her each and every day. It was the exact opposite of what she wanted. She just wanted to continue her life as it was before the incident at the party; however, she was really in denial. Deep down in the pit of her gut, Sharpay knew her life was never going to be the same since that incident. So why was it that she was forcing herself to live in the past, and not the present?

That was a question Sharpay was unable to answer at the moment, or at any moment. It was just another sign of her becoming more vulnerable; she just couldn't be that same tough girl she used to be. She knew that she had her mean side and her vulnerable side. Ever since the incident at the party, she was showing her vulnerable side more and more day by day. Yet, she refused to admit it. She denied anything going on in her family. Her only excuse was that her father had had one too many that night. Unfortunately, only a small member of the senior class was bought off by that, and most of them were students that hadn't attended Troy's party. Nevertheless, Sharpay was determined not to let any of the gossip get to her, whether it was about her, or her father. She was strong. She wasn't vulnerable. And she could most certainly handle this issue that she had had with her father without her mother's help. Or could she?

With a soft sigh, Sharpay finally rounded the corner and approached the end of the hallway where Mr. Gilroy's room was. She took a deep breath before entering the room, a hush falling over the over-talkative students. She appeared to be the last one to enter the room. She must've been so caught up with all her thinking that she'd not heard the bell ring a second time. _Great, I'm late._

"Ah, Ms. Evans," Mr. Gilroy's impish voice piped up from behind his desk, meandering over to where Sharpay was standing. "So nice of you to join us. That'll be a demerit for you, young lady. Now take your seat and-"

Suddenly, a voice cut through Mr. Gilroy's ranting, "Mr. Gilroy!"

All gazes flitted over to the doorway where the dreamy senior captain of the East High Wildcats basketball team stood, flashing an award winning smile. A few sighs were heard and Sharpay stifled a snicker while her eyes locked onto the infamous Troy Bolton's. She wasn't smiling, but she wasn't frowning either; a blank expression had formed on her face. _What the hell is he doing here? He doesn't even take Life Science!_

"Sharpay," He began, his voice pattern altering slightly. Clearing his throat, he continued, "Principal Matsui wants to see you in his office, now."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**AN:** Hey all you readers out there! The second chapter's in the works. I really appreciate the feedback, because this is my first fanfic that I've ever written. I just want to let you all know that I wrote this New Year's day at some ridiculous hour in the morning and I'm going to try my best to update at least once a week. I would try to do it more than that, but for right now, I'm very busy. But the more reviews I get, the more it'll encourage me to write, so really, the reviewers make the story. But I'm sure most of you know that already!

Thankfully, I don't go back to school until Monday, but I've got a lot of work to catch up on because I missed four days of school right before break. So I'll try to update again before Monday, but my first goal is to get a lot of reviewers! Hopefully, I'll have Chapter Two posted on Friday. Once again, reviews make the story really, and I love to hear feedback. So let me know what you think of my story and be honest. Give me some ideas and personal opinions. Trust me, it really helps. Thanks a lot for your support!

P.S. I know Sharpay's dad was nice in HSM2, but this idea really just came to me one day. Really, the whole drama with Sharpay and her dad is sort of based on my life. My dad has similar qualities; it's not _as _extreme, but it's right up there with it. I won't go into further detail, but just remember: read, enjoy, and please review! Thanks!


	2. Promising Changes

**Chapter 2: Promising Changes**

All she could think right away was, _Shit, I'm in for it now._"Really?" Sharpay queried, quirking an eyebrow peculiarly. She was doing it again; faking her reactions and pretending like she could care less why the Principal wanted to see her. "Why?" _He must know. I couldn't have done anything wrong, could I?_

Troy shrugged, "Beats me. He just sent me to get you since I've got free period and no basketball practice." He eyed Sharpay in a perplexed way, almost as if he was challenging her to come with him.

Sharpay hesitated. _Why would he show up here if he was lying? _She sighed heavily and set her books down at an empty desk in the front of the room, "Mr. Gilroy, may I?"

His impish voice piped up from behind his desk, "Yes, yes, Ms. Evans. And forget about the demerit." He seemed more relaxed than he had just a moment ago. "But since you're missing today's lecture, I still expect you to complete tonight's assignment which I will stick on your locker." He was scrawling something on the chalkboard, his eyes narrowing into slits as he looked up. "Shouldn't be too hard to find," He mused, chuckling slightly. "It's the only pink locker in the school."

Fixing a sarcastic smile on her face, Sharpay nodded, "Alright." She wasn't too amused with his petty joke. Everyone knew she was obsessed with the color pink and she adored her fuchsia locker; she didn't appreciate her fucking Life-Science teacher, who was probably the second most boring asshole on earth, poking fun at her. In fact, it pissed her off to high-ends. "I'll be back next period to pick up my materials," She exclaimed unemotionally, trying to hide her anger as she pursed her lips and turned swiftly on her heels, following Troy out the door. She heard a mumble escape Mr. Gilroy's lips before he began his lecture on the ever-so fascinating research of stem cells.

The silence between them whilst walking was inevitable hence the two hadn't spoken since Troy's Senior-Kickoff party. The only noise surrounding them was the soft _pitter-patter _of Sharpay's half-inch silver Prada heels against the tiled floor. Her eyes were glued to the floor and she refused to even take the slightest glance at Troy. She still had no idea what the hell Principal Matsui wanted, but she was unprepared to ask Troy, the one person in the world who she just couldn't figure out her feelings for; the one person who she felt absolutely embarrassed and awkward around the most ever since his own party. It just _had _to be _his _fucking party.

Troy on the other hand, couldn't stop himself from glimpsing at her every other second. His curiosity was gnawing at the back of his brain and getting to him. He couldn't just stand next to Sharpay and not say a word to her. Ever since that night…he felt like a transformed person. The minute things that Gabriella had used to do, such as call him at some ungodly hour at night when he should have been studying for a pop quiz or a test, which he had used to find cute, pissed him off. He was becoming more and more unfocused in his basketball games, causing his father to become more stressed at him. Troy couldn't stand it…because he felt his life was falling apart.

Remind you of anyone?

"Sharpay," Troy sighed heavily, finally breaking the awkward silence between the two. "Look, I don't know what the whole night was about but-"

"Just forget it Troy!" Sharpay retorted defensively, her eyebrows narrowing and her entire figure seemed to straighten, though her gaze remained glued to the floor. She knew he meant the night of the party, and she was positive that he was going to bring it up. It was so like Troy…he was the good guy, but right now, he was just pissing her off. He should've known that she didn't want to talk about such a horrific topic that bothered her to high-ends. "I don't want to talk about it!"

"I know that," He snapped, using the same tone she had. Realizing this was most likely not the best way to conjure a good conversation with Sharpay about such a sensitive topic, he quickly softened up. "I'm sorry," He muttered, his gaze fixed upon hers, causing Sharpay to finally look up at him. "Just understand that I want to help you. I know what it's like to have anger bottled up inside you, and it's not good. Think about last summer, when Gabriella and I broke up and all my friends resented me. How do you think _I _felt in that situation?"

"Troy, it's not the same thing…" _And that was my fault anyway._

"Yes it is! I mean, not exactly," He stammered, shaking his head and then dashing right in front of her, causing Sharpay to stop where she was standing. "What I mean is, I know what it's like to feel like everything's wrong, like everything around you is crashing down…"

Sharpay's expression had calmed and her entire body seemed to relax. He _was _right, about everything. But why shouldn't he be? He was the Troy Bolton…and he knew just about everyone at this whole damn school like the back of his hand, especially her. There was no denying that most of the time, Troy could read her like a book. "So, what do you suggest I do, Mr. Answer Man?" She queried as a small smirk played across her features, elegantly stepping around him and continuing to walk forward.

Troy laughed, walking a step or two faster to catch up to her again. When they were walking side by side again, he smiled as her honey-brown hues locked onto his ocean blue ones in a moment of understanding. "Well first, I need to know what's really happening, and why your dad did…" He paused as her eyes widened slightly, "What he did," He finished, and Sharpay silently thanked him for not saying anything besides that. You never know who could be listening on the other side of the wall… and since Sharpay was the talk of the school presently, she didn't want to run the risk of letting anything personal out in the open.

"Well…I guess it all started after our family decided to take a nice, _relaxing _vacation in the Caribbean…"

* * *

"So you say it was her father?"

"I'm afraid so, sir. It's a confirmed identity."

"And Sharpay didn't come to the police directly after this had happened?"

The officers shook their heads and the broader one of the two answered, "No sir, she did not. Frankly, I'm quite surprised. A girl her age with something that drastic…"

"Maybe she thought she could handle it herself… It's a rare case we see, but it's not terribly shocking. High school girls today, think they've got it all figured out," The taller, leaner officer chuckled slightly.

"You know, that does sound like Sharpay," Principal Dave Matsui nodded to himself and sighed heavily as he rummaged through the police record the officers had handed him on the notorious Sharpay Evans. "I sent one of her classmates to fetch her, so she should be here any minute now."

The officers nodded together in unison. Both clad in matching blue and black pinstriped uniforms, a casual pair of black pants with a belt looped around the middle with all policemen necessities, including a walkie-talkie and a small pistol, the two appeared as if they weren't to mess with. But haven't we all learned not to judge books by their covers?

Principal Matsui smiled courteously, expecting the two to meander around his office for a bit when the taller officer slipped a card onto his desk. "By the way, I'm Officer Chace Bradley. It's a pleasure sir." The two shook hands before Officer Bradley continued, "I'm the local lieutenant officer around Albuquerque, and this card is just for emergencies. I'm going to give one to Ms. Evans as well." Officer Bradley laughed silently at his own stupidity. "I almost forgot! This is my trainee, Officer Jim Smathers." Officer Bradley motioned toward the plump, shorter man who was pre-occupied with admiring the innumerable amount of basketball trophies mounting bookshelves in Principal Matsui's office. "It's a real honor sir," Officer Smathers nodded with a smile before gesturing to a large gold trophy with the year 2007 carved into the front. "Wow, East High won the championship last year?"

Principal Matsui momentary looked up from reading Sharpay's record to grin and nod proudly, "Yes, all thanks to our youngest Team Captain thus far – Troy Bolton."

"Ah, so that's the famous kid from the paper!" Officer Smathers stifled a chuckle as he leaned an elbow against one of the many bookcases littering Principal Matsui's office. "There was a whole article about how East High was in for-the-win and that kid was slam dunking a shot on the front page!"

"Yes, yes, that's our Troy!" Principal Matsui laughed joyously. He took his miniature basketball and shot it through his minuscule basketball hoop, deciding not to get up and fetch it as his laughter subsided and a grin played across his features.

Of course, East High was known for its outstanding Basketball team, led by the one and only, Troy Bolton. He pretty much ran the school, alongside Sharpay Evans of course, the queen of drama…and the theater. But it did his heart good to know that Troy brought pride to East High School and that he was what made East High what it was. He was, as the kids would say, the absolute prima boy of East High and he'd always been one of Dave's favorites. He was just a great kid and that was really all there was to say about him.

"Dave, I believe these are the two we've been waiting for."

Principal Matsui glanced up from the record once more to find a casual-looking Troy Bolton and a slightly disheveled-looking Sharpay Evans who was sporting a grimace as the two shook hands with the officers. Principal Matsui stood up and stepped out in front of his desk, "Ah, Troy, Sharpay. It's about time you two arrived," He quirked his eyebrows in an agitated manner. As he motioned for them to take a seat on his spiffy leather couch in front of his desk, his manner seemed to soften. "Have a seat."

Troy and Sharpay glanced at one another anxiously before taking a seat on the soft, plush and flawless looking black leather couch. Troy immediately relaxed and spread his legs out whilst leaning back and relaxing as opposed to Sharpay, who stiffened her appearance instantaneously, crossing her right leg over her left and keeping her back straightened.

It was difficult to feel relaxed in a situation that Sharpay was in right now. She was beginning to wonder if someone had turned her father in and if the officers were here to question her. She definitely assumed she was going to be questioned, but then again, if she was, why was Troy still present? These thoughts spun in her head as she attempted to resume focus on the current situation unfolding in front of her.

"Ms. Evans, I'm Officer Bradley," The taller-looking officer extended his hand to Sharpay in which she shook it and smiled as courteously as she could. "This is my trainee, Officer Smathers. We're here to ask you a couple of questions about what happened at Mr. Bolton's party on the 15th of September." He gazed at her gravely as he removed a notepad from his back pocket. At the same time, Principal Matsui brought over two dull-gray collapsible chairs and unfolded them for the two officers to relax, as much as possible, on.

"Officer Bradley…if I may," Sharpay began hesitantly, swallowing fretfully. She had just told Troy everything and it had brought tears to her eyes while reminiscing the horrible events. She certainly wasn't prepared to do it again, particularly not in front of two complete strangers! "I'd just like to say, uh…" She found herself stammering. She couldn't even tell the damn officer that she was going to have difficulty telling them. Well, they would surely figure it out now by her stammering.

"Listen, Ms. Evans," Officer Bradley started, a soft, thin smile encasing his lips. "We're not here to judge you; in fact, we're here to help you. We understand that it will most likely be difficult to talk about this tragic event, which is why we're letting your boyfriend keep you company." He courteously smiled at Troy in which he widened his eyes in return.

"Whoa, whoa, big timeout right there…" Troy cut in, his gaze shifting between the two officers uneasily. "We're not boyfriend and girlfriend." He cleared his throat, glancing at Sharpay as if to say, _Help me out here! _

"Yes officer," Sharpay finished for him, causing Troy to calm himself slightly. "We're just friends and I appreciate your concern, because it means a lot. I mean, I just explained everything to Troy and-"

"And you don't want to go on and on again?" Officer Smathers cut in and grinned slightly. "Well perhaps Troy can tell us then, how about it Mr. Bolton? Say, is it true that you led the East High Wildcats to victory at the Championship last year?"

_What the hell?! _Troy thought with perplexity. _Isn't this supposed to be about Sharpay?_ "Um, well yes, and I'll be happy to…if that's okay with Sharpay." He smiled comfortingly at her but he could still see the worry and fear in her eyes. She had to pull herself together just so she could come into the office without tears streaming down her face. He could sense that she was counting on him to tell the story for her, but he wasn't sure if the officers would get the most out of it unless it was coming from Sharpay. After all, this was her story, not Troy's. He would probably screw it up along the way anyway. Sometimes, his memory did get the best of him.

Sharpay sighed deeply before responding, "Actually, officers…" She even snuck a small smile at Troy, which caused him to smile in return. "I'll tell the story. It is mine, after all," She stated with a smirk, her gaze flitting from Troy to the officers, who were sharing Troy's look of content. _The Ice Queen returns…_

"Well, as I was telling Troy," Sharpay began, attempting to clear her head of any agonizing thoughts as she took a deep breath again. "I guess it all really started when my family and I took a vacation in the Caribbean."

The officers listened intently as Sharpay rambled about how her parents had had an argument over something to do with money, but Sharpay hadn't been paying full attention hence her favorite MTV show, _My Super Sweet Sixteen_, had been on. She would always brag about how her Sweet Sixteen had been more fabulous than all of the contestants on the show. At the time, she had presumed it was just some stupid fight that all parents had. Yet unfortunately, the fighting had continued incessantly all throughout the week and both Sharpay and Ryan were fretting about what this controversial argument was really about. But by the end of the week, her enraged father had filed for divorce and was off on some plane to god knows where. He hadn't even said goodbye to Sharpay and Ryan and her mother had sworn at him and thrown books and all sorts of crap lying around the hotel room at him before he had sped off from the room to go relax around town, presumably at the beach. He had taken his briefcase and blackberry with him and nothing else.

Sure, he had returned the next day, but only to say that he was leaving the family. He didn't say anything about where he was going or when he was coming back. With more yelling and screaming, he had finally packed up, left and whisked himself off to the airport. It had been the last time she had seen what was left of her old father… Her new father, oh what a horrible man he was. Sharpay went on and on about how she had been in tears for the rest of the vacation and hadn't been herself for the remainder of the summer. She'd resisted calling her friends, fearing that they wouldn't understand and she had just pretended like everything was perfect. Clearly, she was in denial, and both officers could agree on that.

"I just wanted everything to be like the way it used to be… Ryan and I never even talked about it. He would always be out with his friends from his Sailing group in the Carribean and then be out with his girlfriend. Some girl named Amy." Sharpay was suppressing tears now as she mumbled, "I just…I didn't have the guts to talk to anyone. I regret it now…" Her voice was becoming fainter and Troy was looking at her in distress.

The officers, who had been busy furiously scribbling down as much as they could, were now too sharing the look of agony as they looked at Sharpay, who had put her hands over her face and a barely audible whimper escaped her mouth.

She groaned and let a few tears slide into her palms. "Nothing's…been…okay, s-s-since," She stuttered, taking short breaths as she let more tears fall into her palms.

Troy couldn't bear to watch her suffer and so he put one arm around her while sitting up and continuing, "Then, the next time she saw her father was at my party. He just showed up out of the blue and started beating her, cursing at her and scaring the hell out of everyone at the party." He didn't mind that he was being up-front with the officers, in fact, he was very relaxed to talk about this cautious subject with them. He trusted them, and he wanted Sharpay to be okay. "I remember him saying that he'd be back to reclaim what was rightfully his, but Sharpay and I both have no idea what that is. She's scared, because she thinks it might be her…and well, she's scared of what her father has become. He publicly humiliated her and didn't even lay a finger on Ryan. It's just…just so unlike him." Troy breathed heavily as he finished and squeezed Sharpay's side gently, causing her to stiffen slightly. She obviously wasn't used to having someone hug her. Troy silently wondered when the last time Sharpay had had a hug from anyone. Her mother and her didn't appear to have as great of a relationship as Sharpay and her father had had, and besides, with everything going on with the divorce and Sharpay pretending like she still hadn't seen her father since the Carribean, things were going to be awkward.

Sharpay was still sobbing into her palms and she could feel her makeup smearing, though at the moment, she could care less. Troy's arm was around her and when he squeezed her body delicately, she had stiffened. This was the Troy Bolton, the one she claimed to be in love with, the one who was dating the beautiful Gabriella Montez and the one who resented her that past summer… Why was he being so caring towards her now?

Officer Bradley breathed out slowly, "Well, that was…very helpful, both of you." Even though he couldn't see Sharpay's face and she couldn't see his, he still gestured towards both Troy and her. He really was a nice guy, and he didn't want to pressure Sharpay into doing or saying anything she didn't want to, so he wasn't going to ask her to come down to the station until she was ready…perhaps another few days or so, maybe even a week from now. He stood up cautiously, whispering a word or two to Officer Smathers, who had stood up with him and nodded in response. "I can honestly tell the both of you that we will do our best to be on the lookout for him, but for all we know if he was smart enough, he might've left the country."

Sharpay's breath caught in her throat. So they were just going to fucking _let him_ get away with this? What if he only came back to haunt her, abuse her and…drive her absolutely crazy? They couldn't do shit, and their sickly sweet smiles on their faces were hiding the lies underneath it all. She wanted to yell, to scream out: _You fucking idiots are just going to let him get away with this? You can't do shit, can you?! _But for some reason indefinite to her, her body stayed motionless. She could feel the slow and steady breaths coming from Troy's mouth as he whispered soothingly, "Everything's going to be okay…I promise."

_Promise_. It was a word Troy had broken once before, so who's to say he won't break it again? Sharpay's mind was wrangling with her; all the pessimistic thoughts on the situation at hand were getting the best of her. She couldn't stop herself from thinking:_ It's all just an act. He doesn't give a shit about me. I bet Gabriella put him up to this, just so we could be at peace_.She found herself getting angrier and angrier by the minute. She could make out the shuffling of a few pairs of feet moving towards the door as one of the officers sighed while Principal Matsui murmured something out of earshot to them. The two cleared their throats, "Sharpay," Officer Smathers initiated slowly, "I know you're listening, so we just want you to know that we'd like to see you-"

A faint smack was heard and a sly smile curled on Sharpay's lips – the first since the start of the horrid conversation. "Shut up you dingbat," Officer Bradley hushed his trainee, explaining quietly that he didn't want to pressurize her into anything at the moment. "What he meant was…" Officer Bradley commenced awkwardly, "that we just want you to relax, because we know who we're after and you can count on us." He wanted to reassure her. Of course, he had empathy for Sharpay but he couldn't put himself in her shoes. He didn't know what it was like to have an abusive father and he didn't wasn't there when all the shit had happened. With a deep sigh, he finished confidently, "We'll find him. You can count on it."

Troy grinned weakly at the two officers while Principal Matsui sighed, "Sharpay…"

With a soft whimper, Sharpay removed her hands from her face to reveal an unruly mess of smeared mascara and blotchy red eyes and cheeks from all the crying. She sniffed and Troy bit his lip to hide his depression and worry. She could feel his strong arm continually squeezing her gently, but she was still so flustered and perplexed. _Why is he doing this? _She managed to nod and smile very weakly, "Thank you officers…really," She stammered, attempting to act like everything was okay when of course, it wasn't. "I appreciate it."

The two officers smiled in unison and tipped their caps to her, "We'll be in touch, you've got my card, no?" Officer Bradley asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yes," She answered feebly.

He winked reassuringly at her as the two officers ushered Principal Matsui into the hallway for a brief moment to discuss some post-matter topics. This left Troy and Sharpay in the room alone and Sharpay began to breathe heavily as they left. "Troy…that was so hard," She sniffled, wiping a tear that had begun to trickle down from her left eye.

"I know Sharpay, I know," He spoke softly, struggling his best to be as calming as he could be. His blue eyes were hazed with worry as he helped her stand up.

Sharpay flashed a cute smile at him and removed his arm delicately and with ease from around her, "Troy, I really appreciate all that you're doing for me…I don't know how I could get through this without you."

"It's nothing Sharpay," He began, shrugging his shoulders casually and stifling a chuckle. "It's what friends do. Friends help friends."

_Friends help friends. So we are friends? Of course we are. Jesus Sharpay! _Sharpay nodded as her mind began to wander while Principal Matsui re-entered the room and took a deep breath while he strayed over to his desk again.

"Troy, thank you for retrieving Sharpay from her Life Science class, and Sharpay, don't worry about your assignments for tonight. I've emailed all your teachers and they've excused your homework assignments for tonight." He gave her a comforting smile while tidying up the manila folder which held the contents of her police record and he slipped it into one of his filing cabinets. "But don't get any ideas," He warned playfully. "You're still required to attend all classes, no excuses."

A dainty smile played across Sharpay's face as she nodded, "Thank you Principal Matsui. I'll be sure to keep that in mind!" She laughed cheerfully and winked at him while Troy merely followed her out, waving his hand to Principal Matsui in farewell.

The two were joyously laughing while Troy walked Sharpay back to her Life-Science class. It was such a change in Sharpay's manner, and Troy was more than thrilled to see her happy all of a sudden. She certainly was moody; there was no doubt about it. But apparently being around Troy brought her happiness. And thus, Troy now had a deliberate excuse to be around her as much as possible.

Checking his watch momentarily, Troy took note that there were three minutes until the first period ended and he decided to take this time to slip his arm around Sharpay's slender figure as he done in Principal Matsui's office.

Sharpay could feel her cheeks flushing the color of a rose as he did so, but she didn't push him away. She became conscious of the fact that he was advancing closer to her, and the three minutes were ticking away faster than she expected. She backed away from him slowly into one of the many walls adjacent to the senior lockers as they were a flight above Mr. Gilroy's classroom.

Troy sighed as he gently murmured "Sharpay, can I tell you something?" His right palm was pressed against the wall beside her head. His heart was pounding and she was taking every breath of his away…She was ravishing, and it didn't matter that she had mascara stains underneath her eyes. She still looked more beautiful than ever.

Sharpay suddenly felt a lump in her throat and her palms began to sweat as she became flustered almost immediately. "Sure, Troy," She sighed deeply, acting as if she was completely relaxed. "You know you can tell me anything."

"I'm really glad that I'm helping you out," He began, his grin stretching wide from ear to ear. "I just want you to know that I really c-"

"Troy Bolton!" A shout was heard from across the hall and Troy found himself locking eyes with a beautiful raven-haired senior with caramel colored hues that were hazed with hurt. She advanced closer to him, tears beginning to pour down her cheeks as many heads had begun to turn to the scene of embezzlement that the infamous Troy Bolton had put himself in.

"I hate you," the all-too-beautiful Gabriella Montez muttered as she gritted her teeth and slapped him clear across the face before running like a madwoman down the hall, and out of sight.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**AN: **Hey all you readers out there! I finally got done with the chapter, and man, I had a hell of a day today. My harddrive on my computer crashed and so I nearly lost my entire story! I was devastated for most of the day until my favorite techies were able to recover most (or all, they're not sure) of my harddrive, so I was shockingly surprised and happy! I was mostly disappointed that I wasn't going to be able to post my chapter and I would have to rewrite it all! So I still posted it on Friday, and it's very late, I know. My apologies. I do hope you'll all forgive me after the hell of a day I had:D

I really hope you enjoy this chapter. It took me the past two or three days to write and there's a lot of information that's going to be useful for the rest of the upcoming story, so keep that in mind. ;) I really want to hear your predictions since I'm leaving you with another cliffhanger! Really, I'd love to hear them and even if you don't have a fanfiction account, leave me an anonymous review! It really made me happy to see that I got 11 reviews and I'd love to get even more than that since I've had a lot of hits to my story. I love all my readers! It you take the time to check out my story, please, just review. It means a lot. D Thanks again! Just remember: Read, Enjoy and Review!


	3. Who Am I?

**Chapter 3: Who am I?**

"Hey, it's Gabriella. You know what to do!" A soft beep was heard and Troy cursed under his breath.

_Unbelievable_. Troy slammed his cell phone lid shut for the umpteenth time in exasperation. It was twenty six calls later and after an hour of hoops plus four an half hours of homework, Troy was exhausted, irate and starving. He'd skipped dinner after his dad had shouted at him for screwing up a few new plays including the oldie, the left hand fake; he'd mastered it junior year but with the fact that his girlfriend _once again _potentially hated him, he'd been unfocused and screwed it up too many times. It was an occurrence that he'd had to deal with again and again, and it was common whenever he had all sorts of shit on his mind. The fact that his dad didn't seem to understand was what made him so irate all of a sudden. Thankfully, he hadn't lost his cool or else his dad would have surely thrown a fit. Sometimes, being the coach's son…sucked ass.

It was now dawning upon eleven pm and Troy was having notions of sneaking downstairs to grab something light, maybe some Mac and cheese or a bagel – anything that he could whip up fast without too much noise. His stomach had been rumbling ever since eight pm when he'd taken a shower. Currently, his sandy brown hair was slicked back with some styling gel and it had fully dried about an hour ago. Over the course of those past two hours, he'd called Gabriella again and again to apologize. But did she answer the phone? No.

It was so like her, just to be that stubborn bitch. He hadn't even_done _anything! However, that didn't mean he wasn't thinking about doing anything…in fact, he'd had his sights set on a short kiss with Sharpay. But the real question was: why? Why the hell did he want to kiss Sharpay Evans, ice queen and prima girl of East High? She was a bitch, right? That's what everyone claimed her to be: a girl with a label, and that label happened to be ice queen, bitch or prima girl. She was known for her ruthlessness and nastiness towards others and Troy was known as the exact opposite.

And yet, newsflash: opposites _attract_.

But in reality, Sharpay of course wasn't as nasty as she was labeled. Everyone in high school exaggerated about others, and East High's students were no exception. It was no wonder why Taylor McKessie, best friend of Gabriella Montez and loyal student, and the Scholastic Decathlon team had resented him for being known as the "lunkhead basketball boy". Still, Gabriella had seen right through him and she'd seen the side of him that he'd always wanted people to see and in reality, he'd done the same with her. He was a compassionate guy and now that more people were aware of this, more people liked him and not just in the sense of that he was the captain of the basketball team and good-looking.

Gabriella was no different in the gist of the situation. She was incredibly shy and wanted to be more outgoing and try new things at East High, yet when she met Troy, her popularity had gone through the roof and now, she was much more outgoing. However, she was still that shy little girl that came to East High last year and Troy had seen right through her as well. Wasn't that why they were meant to be?

Troy swallowed awkwardly. All these mixed thoughts were jumbled in his mind and he felt like his brain was going to explode. He liked Gabriella and he contemplated that it was love, but sadly, he knew now that it was far from it. Deeper and stronger feelings for Sharpay were consuming his mind and his heart raced at even the slightest thought of her. She wasn't all that she was labeled as and in reality, she was just as vulnerable as anyone else.

See, that's the thing. Troy recognized that and he wasn't sure that the rest of his friends did, friends like Chad and Zeke, even Taylor and Gabriella. Though surprisingly, he was positive that Ryan, Sharpay's one and only brother, could distinguish the false side of Sharpay, who put down others to stay strong about herself, from the real Sharpay, the kind, sweet, vulnerable and forlorn Sharpay: the one that needed Troy to be by her side.

Not that he knew of course, but it's what he wished for. He wanted to be by her side, more than anything. Ever since his party, it was like he had some sort of revelation. From that day forward, he had a strong hatred towards Mr. Evans, whom he'd thought was particularly nice last summer. He was an extraordinary golfer and a guy that could have led him to a scholarship the easy way. But it was obvious that once the divorce had happened, he'd turned to drugs and alcohol to escape his past. He loathed Sharpay and Ryan, and of course his ex-wife, so he'd moved as far away as possible from them. And yet, it seemed like he'd forgotten _something_…

All he needed to know was just what that _something_ was. If he knew, he could help Sharpay…in fact, he could save her. But wasn't that exactly what he wished to do? _Of course_. With an exasperated sigh, Troy figured he'd turn in and just as he was about to slip off his shirt and shorts, his dad entered the room with a stern expression plastered on his face. "Troy…"

"Hey dad," Troy mumbled in response, slipping his shirt off over his head to reveal his flawless toned abs and chest. All that basketball sure paid off! His gaze flitted away from him within moments and gravitated towards his open window where a cool breeze had just entered the room, sending his curtains awry. He could hear his dad's fingers strumming away on his walls and gradually entering the room, looking around at all the crap lying on Troy's floor – clothes that he had yet to wash, book after book, a few twenty dollar bills and an innumerable amount of school materials. Just your average teenage boy's room.

"Son, are you having trouble with anything? School, Gabriella?" His dad slowly asked, his eyes fixed onto the back of Troy's head. He knew his son and he only played his worst in basketball when there was something on his mind, or something had gone down that day or week that would cause him to become unfocused. With a scholarship in mind for Troy, Jack Bolton desired to have his son go to a great school with a fantastic basketball program and he knew his son had the capability of going on scholarship. He had talent, oh boy did he.

Troy was motionless for a few seconds, his gaze traveling to a nearby tree outside his window where a brown leaf had fallen from and was now drifting towards the lawn. He watched carefully as it shifted back and forth in midair and then landed gracefully on the lawn where it would sit until it was blown away by another huge gust of wind or breeze. His mind wandered after that and he contemplated why his father had even the slightest care in the world. All he wanted was for Troy to become the basketball guy, the guy that Troy himself was sick of being. He just wanted to fit in…be his regular, cool, casual self and crack stupid jokes. Most of all, he wanted to be with someone who felt the same way…someone who no one expected him to be with: the opposite of Gabriella.

We think that that someone is on the market…a certain blonde perhaps?

With a strenuous sigh, Troy rotated on his heels so he was facing his father with a certain innocence that he couldn't yet figure out that he had. "Yeah, dad, yeah," He murmured, his voice cracking as he did. "I don't even know who I am anymore…"

Troy wasn't the emotional type, but man when he felt like shit, he showed it. Hot tears began sliding down his cheeks and he couldn't bring himself to blink them away. They slid down his cheeks, past his chin and fell to the carpet below and Troy let out a faint whimper. He collapsed on his bed and buried his head into his pillows, his father in immediate shock. Troy was tough, and it took a lot to make the kid cry, it really did.

"Troy, come on," His dad took a seat on his bed right next to Troy and messed with his slicked hair. "Don't cry kid." You could tell he was _not_ good at this parenting stuff at all. But a man to man talk was certainly more comfortable than a woman to man talk, aka mom to son. "Tell me what's bugging you. It'll do you good to get it off your chest," He exclaimed, grinning weakly as he heard another soft moan from the pillow.

"D-da-d," He choked out, swallowing and taking a few short breaths. "Gabriella hates me…and…and I- I don't love her…anymore," He panted breathlessly and took in a lot of air before a few more tears formed in his eyes. He gently lifted his head and felt the fronts of his slicked hair fall into his eyes. His dad had laid a gentle arm around him in the meantime and was tolerantly waiting for Troy to finish crying and let him know what was going on in a normal voice, hence he couldn't understand Troy when he was stuttering. "Son, I can't understand you. Can you try to calm down?"

After hearing this, Troy was trying his best to become serene and he wiped away the remaining tears, swallowed a few times some more short breaths. "I think," He began slowly, his eyes wandering to different corners of the room. "I think I should dump Gabriella."

His father stared at him appalled and felt like slapping him continuously but resisted the temptation, "What!?" He cried out in shock, standing up and pacing the room frantically. "But you love her! I mean, you always blush when she calls and you told me once that you can't stop thinking about her!"

"Ever heard of a thing called a _crush_ dad?" Troy slightly mocked, chuckling under his breath as he quirked an eyebrow at his father playfully. "Besides, I'm in love…with somebody else," A smile came to his face as he spoke and he was mesmerized with thoughts of Sharpay and her gorgeous smile. He'd grown fond of glancing at her every now and then in homeroom and in the one other class they had together, English. She just always looked so amazing, so perfect. She would smile at him cutely and turn back to what she was doing, whether it'd be taking notes or raising her hand to answer a question. She was smart, and people really didn't give her credit for it; she was after all, a straight A-student.

He knew that he was constantly thinking about her and she was always on his mind, even in his dreams. He'd dream of her; he'd dream of being with her. His dreams were his desires and he desired to be with Sharpay, but he knew he might be getting ahead of himself just a tad. He was technically still with Gabriella, and with the whole crisis on Sharpay's hands, Troy doubted that she wanted to think about having a new man in her life. For now, being _just friends_ would just have to do, even though it killed him inside.

"Who!?" His father shrieked again for the third time, Troy snapping out of his daze as he did so. His mind was so overwhelming with thoughts of Sharpay that sometimes he felt she was taking over his life, yet somehow, it was in a good way. His father was obviously becoming agitated and he assumed Troy was ignoring him and with exasperation, he yelled, "Troy! Listen to me! Are you in a bad mood or not?!"

"Not anymore," He replied coolly, sitting up straight in his bed and standing up. He began to walk towards his 20" jet black flat screen and turn on his XBOX360. In the spur of the moment, he'd decided that he was in the mood for a little Guitar Hero.

His father merely shrugged, calming himself down after his little tyrant. "Well, if you don't mind me asking…" He raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. "Who's this new girl you're in love with?"

A gentle laugh came from Troy's mouth and he mocked his father by shrugging in return, "That's for me to know, and for you to figure out yourself." He winked as the credits for Guitar Hero began to show up while Troy strapped on the toy guitar and pressed the green key several times to start the game. He could hear his father laugh in return and his footsteps echoing away as he closed the door and shouted for him to 'go to bed soon or he'd be sorry!' Knowing how addicted to Guitar Hero, Troy wasn't bound to go asleep for a while.

After playing five songs, Troy paused to brush his teeth and while staring at himself in the mirror, the smile that he'd had since the tail end of his conversation with his father and while playing Guitar Hero slowly faded. He wasn't the same kid he was this summer; everything had changed. He'd fallen in love with a girl he had been too quick to judge, who had a fucked up father and he couldn't possibly confess his feelings to her at the moment, though he wanted to and he wasn't sure who he was anymore, because he most certainly couldn't be that "lunkhead basketball guy" that he'd been one year ago. So much had happened in this past year, it was kind of insane.

He still loved to sing and he had been thinking of trying out for the Winter Musical of _Grease_ with Gabriella again. He knew Sharpay and Ryan would be going for the lead again and he'd figured to have some stiff competition, but now, he wondered if Sharpay was even debating on trying out. Ryan might still go for it without this sister's help. But, the whole drama unfolding within his family might not even stop him from auditioning; Mr. Evans was _his _father too, but surprisingly enough, he wasn't as bothered by the situation as Sharpay was. But girls tended to be more emotional about everything and being publicly humiliated at a party for the entire senior grade was far from something to not worry about.

Rinsing out his toothpaste and gargling a quarter of a pint of Scope Cool Mint mouthwash, Troy examined himself in the mirror once more. He furrowed his brows and tried to smile, but wore a graceful frown instead. He just wasn't himself and there was no denying it. Normally, Troy would be full of smiles and talking on the phone with Gabriella, who'd he thought was made for him. But instead, here he was, mourning over the fact that he couldn't be with Sharpay at the moment, the Sharpay Evans, and could barely crack a smile.

He sighed heavily, his gaze flitting between his reflection in the mirror and a tiny picture of Gabriella that he had hung next to his medicine cabinet. Without thinking, he carefully removed the picture from the wall and promenaded back into his room. He slipped the picture of Gabriella who had quite the cute grin on her face, out of the frame and replaced it with a picture of Sharpay laughing that he had snapped outside of East High when he had just been talking with her a total of two weeks ago. Immediately upon seeing the picture, his face softened and a light smile daintily appeared on his face.

There she was, Sharpay Evans, the girl he just couldn't take his mind, and eyes off of. She was stunning in her own right, an individual if you may. And perhaps that's just what Troy liked best about her. In a way, she was her own person and it was a person Troy longed to be himself. Maybe he admired her. Maybe he just knew that she understood what it was like to have all this pressure constantly weighing him down: being the all-star coach's son, winning game after game of basketball and getting good grades in school, not to mention staying good looking. It was all a game to Troy. And in his own right, it was.

All of High School was a game, a game that Troy had so far been winning. Yet lately, it was a game he not only felt like he was failing, but he just didn't feel like playing. He'd never really had thoughts like this before, and now he was questioning himself as to why. Half the school only really looked up to him because he was the captain of the Basketball team and led the team to victory consecutively, not to mention he was the prima boy of East High. He was a nice guy though, not that they knew, because of stereotypes of course. Ah, stereotypes.

But he was thinking too much.

Gabriella was a bitch and she wouldn't even accept his apology for something he hadn't even done. That, according to Troy, was arrogant and rude. He was fed up with being the nice guy and tired of listening to all of her stupid rambling at night. No, he wasn't just tired: he was _done_.

He wanted to be done with Gabriella, done with being the captain of the Wildcats…done with.

_Get'cha, Get'cha Head in the game._

"Crap, I have to change that ring tone," He muttered fervently as he raced for his phone, presuming it was Gabriella. However, his gaze froze when he saw the caller id which read: **Sharpay Evans. **

_Sharpay? Calling me at this hour? What a sweetheart. No, shut up Troy, you two are just friends. Pssht, yeah right.  
_

Calming himself and attempting to think of a way to start a conversation, Troy flipped open the phone, breathed out and smiled lightly, "Hello?"

"Troy, hey. It's Sharpay." A voice chirped zealously from the other line. She sounded happy, not that Troy knew or anything. He was really crappy at guessing girl's emotions. Besides, they were the moodiest people.

"Hey," He replied coolly, clearing his throat and swallowing slightly. He wished he could feel her hot breath against his ear speaking to him and having that severe sexual tension between them, like they'd had today. _Shit_. How could she be making him so horny just by speaking to him on the telephone?

"Listen, I'm sorry about Gabriella…I just want to talk," She sounded unsteady suddenly.

See, moody as hell.

"It's not your fault. I'm a little fed up with her anyway," He exclaimed half-heartedly, shrugging to himself. He gazed at himself in the mirror, playing with his gelled-back hair a bit. He styled it so that his bangs curled up in the front. He winked as he heard Sharpay murmur, "Really? Why?"

He sighed nonchalantly, "She's not answering her phone. I left like thirty fucking messages." He was Mr. Exaggeration…eh?

Sharpay giggled slightly, but halted herself. "I'm sorry. That was really insensitive." She began, choking on her words. She was just trying to say the right thing. "I mean, you seemed to take it as a joke…"

He laughed slightly, shaking his head in the mirror and lowering his gaze to the mouthpiece of his cell, "No worries Sharpay, I understand. Besides, it is a little funny." God, her giggle made him want to wrap his arms around her and never let go. He should tell her...yeah, yeah, he should just blurt it out. He was known to take risks anyway, wasn't he?

"Listen, I've got to get to bed." He paused his rapid thinking process to state. "But how about you meet me by the big oak tree outside tomorrow before school, like 7ish?" He smiled weakly, the spur of the thought just making him happy. "Whaddya say?"

"Sounds great," Sharpay smiled to herself, twirling a strand of her with her index finger. She bit her lip and made note to herself to arrive early tomorrow. "Goodnight Troy." She flipped her cell phone closed.

And now, he was going to do it. He was just going to tell her he loved her. He didn't give a damn about decision making anymore, or at least for right now.

"Sharpay, wait! I love you-" But it was too late. The click had been audible. Troy groaned loudly and flopped on his bed, dropping his cell phone atop his mattress and drifting to sleep immediately, without a care in the world.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**AN: **Sorry about the late update! I've been really busy lately, and I got sick with the flu! I hope you enjoy! I've already got a lot of ideas for the next chapter, and heh, I'm leaving you with another cliffy! Lol, I guess that's what keeps my readers. Expect another update this weekend hopefully, depending on how much time I have. I've got a midterm to make-up since I was sick, so if not this weekend, the weekend after. Thanks all for reading and reviewing! Remember, it _really _motivates me. So if you want a new chapter, you know what to do!


End file.
